The Lutheran Hour
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"Hatred Toward Heaven"
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Text: Mark 13:13
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! This glorious resurrection announcement is God’s proclamation to a world which is dying in sin that there is hope. In the darkness of death the Light shines, and that Light is the Savior, Jesus Christ.
Shhhhhhh. I’m going to tell you a secret. Ready? Here it is. “I don’t know when the end of the world is coming.” I’d like you to keep this our little secret because it’s just a little bit embarrassing for a minister, especially one who is talking to millions of people, to admit he doesn’t know when the end of the world will be. It’s embarrassing because people expect you to know things which are important, things like… like when the world is going to end.
Yes, there have been a whole host of folks who knew when the end was coming. There was a second century Roman priest, who, using calculations based on the size of Noah’s Ark, said Jesus was coming back around 500 A.D. In the year 999, many people in the Christian community thought Jesus would return with the new millennium. They started to behave, gave away their stuff, left their fields unplanted, and headed toward Jerusalem where they thought the Savior would show up. In 1809, a fortuneteller, Mary Bateman was her name, had people believing her magic chicken could tell the future. She, I mean the chicken, not Mary, laid eggs with messages written on them, and one of those messages had said, “Jesus is coming back.” It caused quite a stir, until somebody caught Mary taking her handwritten eggs and putting them back into the chicken. Mary didn’t know when the last time was going to be and the chicken didn’t either.
Still, the fact that these folks have been totally and terribly mistaken in their prophecies about Jesus’ return, will not stop others from making their own guesses; nor will it stop inquiring minds from wanting to know when the end will be. It certainly didn’t stop the Savior’s disciples from wondering. Their question was prompted by a discussion which had occurred as Jesus was leaving the temple. A nameless follower observed, “Jesus, aren’t these buildings, these stones, beautiful?” Rather than giving a “small talk” answer, Jesus, surprisingly said, “Do you see all these great buildings? …Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down” (Mark 13:2). Jesus’ reply was shocking. You see, the temple, with its 40 foot columns; with its foundation stones weighing more than 100 tons seemed to be indestructible; as indestructible as, well, as a building as big as the Pentagon, or as tall as the World Trade Center towers. It was unthinkable that anything could hurt the temple.
So shocking was Jesus’ answer, that later, as the Savior and some of His closest friends, sat on the Mount of Olives, gazing at the wondrous panorama of the temple complex, the disciples, very privately asked, “Jesus, can You tell us when; can You give us some identifying signs of when the tearing down of the temple is going to happen? ” Jesus did tell them about the horrible things that were going to occur before the Romans brought down the temple in 70 AD. Jesus told of wars, rumors of wars, persecution, problems, pestilence, tribulation and trials, the coming of fake prophets who could perform miracles and falsely claim they represented God. One thing Jesus didn’t tell them was when. Which is why, ever since that moment, many, desiring to nail things down, wishing not to have any lose ends, have been trying to pinpoint the last day, the moment the Savior will return to this world in judgment.
I suppose theirs is a rational and reasonable question, and, if I had an answer, I would share it, but I don’t. I’m just sharing what Jesus said. As part of the conversation with His disciples, He warned, “If anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there He is!’ do not believe it” (Mark 13:21). Jesus was saying, “They don’t know.”
“So, is that the end of the sermon?” I can almost hear you asking. Not at all. Even though I don’t know when the end of the world is going to come, and when Jesus is going to return, I do know a few things. Well, actually, I know two things. First, I know that Jesus was born into this world so you don’t have to worry about the end of the world. That’s right; because of Jesus, you don’t have to worry about a generic day of judgment, or your own individual day of death. Allow me to explain. All of us, and by that I mean you and I, along with everyone else, are sinners. Sin is sum and substance of who we are; it is part and parcel of what we do. Yes, I know you may be a good person, a kind person, a gentle, generous, caring, and self-controlled person. Even so, you are a sinner and although you may not always act on them, you still think thoughts, still harbor feelings which show you are, by nature, less than perfect. You certainly fall short of the 100 percent through-and-through holiness that God expects. That’s the bad news. Do you want the good news? On your own, there isn’t any. Because we are sinners, unable to change ourselves, fix ourselves, mend ourselves, our final destination is hell. See, I told you the news was bad.
Thankfully, we’re not on our own, and that is good news. Seeing us steeped in sin, God had mercy on us. Why? I can’t tell you that either. All I can tell you is that He is a loving God, and because He is, He promised to send His Son to take our place. That promise was fulfilled in the person of Jesus. Born of a woman so He might be one of us and take our place under the law; conceived by the Holy Spirit, so He might be able to avoid sin, fend off Satan’s temptations, and defeat death; Jesus came into this world. His life, Jesus’ life, was lived perfectly. Have you ever met someone you absolutely didn’t like, couldn’t like? Well, Jesus liked and loved that individual. Did you ever meet a person who had done things so horrible, so horrific that you would not stay in a room with him? Jesus picked up those horrendous sins, every one of those sins and took them with Him to the cross. There, in an act of compassion unlike any this world had ever seen, or will ever see again, Jesus died to save us.
The innocent Son of God died for guilty humanity. Jesus died so that, with our hearts turned from the past and toward Him, we are given eternal life. This I know. Of course, you may still have your doubts. You may still be wondering, “How can I be sure?” You can be sure because Jesus rose from the dead. A living Lord Jesus, having defeated disobedience and devil with His life; by His resurrection, conquered the grave. So you might believe what I’ve just said is the Gospel truth, a healthy and hearty Savior showed Himself again and again to His surprised disciples. Some believed almost immediately; others had their understandable doubts. To those skeptics Jesus said, “Here, touch Me and see if I’m not real.” Those doubters believed and were given, along with salvation, a peace which the world cannot offer, and a future that can be approached without fear. Little wonder Saint Paul said, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).
Jesus’ blood-bought victory is something we desperately need, especially in light of the second thing I’m going to talk about, the second thing that I know – I know you’re going to die. When? I don’t know that, but I know you’re going to die, and it would be wise to let Jesus lead you through that inevitable event. The day Jesus made His predictions about the end times, He also said, “The one who endures until the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22). Endure until the end with faith in Jesus as your Savior – that’s the best advice I can give you. If your life is short, it’s good advice; if your life is long, it’s good advice. Endure until the end.
Which takes me to a turning point in this message. To encourage you to follow Jesus past death and grave, I could speak about the bombing of the courthouse in Oklahoma City, or the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Everybody remembers those events and how death came to so many people so very unexpectedly. Would it be better if I avoided speaking about the murders of multitudes and instead talked about the unanticipated death of famous individuals? That list is long and easy to draw from. Let’s see, death came unannounced to NASCAR great Dale Earnhardt; then, this summer there was the one-in-a-million accident that ended the life of crocodile hunter Steve Irwin. Either one of those choices would be effective in telling people to believe in Jesus until the unknown time of their end. We could walk either path, but I would prefer to speak of someone who is not famous, who may not be known to you. I would like, with her family’s permission, to talk to you about Gabrielle Anna Paquette. A Minnesota native, Gabrielle was born November 17, 1999. Her parents were John and Monica. Gabrielle came into this world with a big sister, Aubrey, already in place; later she would acquire a little brother, Noah.
Gabrielle was a beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl. Those who knew her didn’t have a difficult time dreaming of what her life might be. As a bright young girl she would go to school, make friends, participate in all the extra-curriculars that she wanted. She would attend high school, then college. There she would meet the young man of her dreams, they would get married and have children of their own. In all probability, Gabrielle and her husband would not be rich, nor would they be famous, but they would have a good life together. “Comfortable, enjoyable,” that’s what people would have called it. Eventually, Gabrielle would have had grandchildren to spoil. As the decades went by, she, and her husband would grow old together. Eventually, their union would end with the death of one or the other; but that would be a long time in the future, and who needs to think of such a dark thing as death?
The Paquette family found themselves being forced to think of such dark things, when, on September 28th, they took Gabrielle to a hospital emergency room. You parents know that a run to the emergency room is not an unusual thing. Strange rashes, croupy coughs, and nasty falls have caused most of us to pile into the van and make such excursions. Sometimes we feel we’ve made so many trips to the hospital they ought to give us our own parking space. This visit the Paquette family made was motivated by Gabrielle having had some stomach problems which didn’t seem to be going away. They thought, “Best to take her in and find out what, if anything, is wrong.” Something was wrong. As Monica wrote in her journal, “We found out that most of Gabrielle’s recent illnesses were due to a large tumor found in her abdomen. The next day we learned that she had neuroblastoma.” Neuroblastoma is a big word. Neuroblastoma is a cancer which occurs most often in children and infants; about 650 cases a year are diagnosed in the United States. Neuroblastoma is not a word you want to have spoken about your child, anybody’s child.
Gabrielle, less than two years old, had to stay in the hospital. Chemotherapy was the treatment; the outcome was unsure. For a year and seven months Gabrielle fought cancer. There were good days and bad days – more bad days than good. She didn’t complain; she didn’t complain when her caretaker said, “This won’t hurt” and it did. She didn’t complain when a hoped-for visit home didn’t materialize. She did what she had to do; she endured what she had to suffer. And her parents, her Christian parents, they endured, too. They prayed, and they hoped and they questioned and they asked God for a miracle, and if not a miracle, strength. Gabrielle’s parents endured. They endured when Gabrielle asked her mother, “Cancer gone?” and her mother had to say, “No.” They endured when, after many months and much soul searching, they suggested to their daughter, “Maybe it’s time to go home to Jesus,” and she asked, “Will you be dere?” They endured that which people shouldn’t have to endure, but some parents must.
They endured until Friday, May 17, 2002. I could tell you of what happened that day, but my words would be those of an outsider. Gabrielle’s mother could tell you better. This is what she recorded: “What should I write tonight? I guess I want to share how Gabbie left. At 7:00 a.m. this morning, Gabbie was sitting in her highchair with sunglasses shielding her from the bright morning light. She asked for noodles, but we knew she wouldn’t be able to eat. She was so uncomfortable in her highchair that, against her wishes, we put her back in her crib, which we had just moved out of the living room. From 9:00 and on, she mostly slept and her breathing was labored. I knew. I just didn’t know when. Due to her discomfort, we have not really been able to hold her in our laps. But, after watching her labor in sedation for almost six hours, I decided I wanted to hold her. After less than ten minutes of holding her in my arms, I noticed a dramatic change in her breathing. I told John to get close. She left.” The next day’s diary continues…
“Saturday, May 18th – “Today John and I went to the mortuary to make all the necessary arrangements for the funeral. I never in my life imagined that I would have to make funeral plans for a two-year-old child… AND WE STILL LOVE GOD. Although the prince of darkness may try to tempt us… Satan has been defeated in our lives. While we are, and always will be, grieving Gabbie’s absence from this life, our hope in God and a future reuniting with Gabbie remains. Is grief in our future here on earth? Yes, very much so. But the most important battle has been won for Gabbie and for her family. And by the grace of God, my family was saved for eternity even before Satan knew who we were.”
That, my friends, is what Jesus holds out to those who trust in Him; that is how He helps us endure until the end. Being a Christian doesn’t mean that your life will be filled, from the first chapter until last, with honey and bright, beautiful mornings. It doesn’t mean that there will be no storms and rough seas which toss you to and fro. Being a Christian doesn’t mean that the path you walk will be smooth; the road you travel without detour or hazard. Being a Christian doesn’t mean that your children will live to accomplish all the dreams that you have for them when you first looked down upon their faces as they lay asleep in their cribs. On the contrary, this sinful world will do its best to hurt you and harm you; Satan and his helpers are dedicated to defeating and destroying you; circumstances and situations will arise to discourage and depress you. But with faith in Jesus, you can endure until the end.
I will not tell you that the Paquette family, and others who have walked their path had things easy; that they were never shaken. They were; but in Jesus they have endured. You can endure, too. When the evil of life comes upon you, as it inevitably, inescapably does, you will endure. You can endure because; as sure as these things come, so Jesus the Savior has promised to come. No, that’s not right. Jesus won’t come to you; He can’t come to you because He has always been there with you. The Savior’s promise is: “Behold, I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). His invitation is, “Come to Me… and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). His comfort to all who mourn is this: “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11: 25-26).
So you can endure until the end is why Jesus has lived, died, and risen for you. So that you might confidently confess with Paul and say, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life… nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39). So you might endure until the end, so you might, as Gabrielle said it, “be dere” in heaven, Jesus will give you that which you need.
Well, those are the two things I know. And I thank the Paquettes for letting me tell their story – Gabrielle’s story – with this one addition. The day before Gabrielle went home to her Lord, she pointed to something – something her father could not see, and she said, “Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.” Was Gabrielle’s Savior in that room with her? Of course He was; how could He not be? He had promised to help her endure until the end. It is a promise He is making to you, as well. If you need to know more, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for November 19, 2006
TOPIC: IS GOD NECESSARY?ANNOUNCER: Is God necessary? That’s today’s question for Pastor Ken Klaus. I’m Mark Eischer.
KLAUS: Hi, Mark.
ANNOUNCER: Today, I’d like you to respond to something one of our co-workers heard as they tried to share their faith with a neighbor.
KLAUS: OK.
ANNOUNCER: The neighbor said, “Look, I understand why some people might think they need a God, but, as for me, I think God is pretty much unnecessary.”
KLAUS: Let me answer it this way. Let’s say you’ve got a pet fish. Let’s call him Larry. Larry the fish. And let’s say Larry lives in a bowl of water on the nightstand. I don’t know whether this is cruel or not to the fish, but it’s a small environment in which Larry is living out his life. Now, imagine, every so often the water has to be added to this mini-aquarium. And every once in a while the water needs to be changed. On a fairly regular basis Larry needs to be fed. From the people I talk to, there are some other rules, common sense rules that need to be followed in order to keep Larry alive. Now, Mark, imagine if you will, that Larry the fish could talk. What would you think if the first words out of his mouth were something like, “A caretaker is entirely unnecessary for me”?
ANNOUNCER: I would think Larry had lost his little mind.
KLAUS: Why is that?
ANNOUNCER: Well, the truth is, everything about that fish is completely and totally dependent upon the good will of his owner, his caretaker.
KLAUS: The caretaker feeds Larry?
ANNOUNCER: Yes.
KLAUS: Sets up a suitable environment?
ANNOUNCER: Not only that, but maintains it.
KLAUS: Protects Larry from all kinds of problems that fish doesn’t even know exist?
ANNOUNCER: The fish has no idea what’s out there beyond the bowl.
KLAUS: So, for a fish to make such a statement would be ridiculous in the extreme.
ANNOUNCER: I would say this would be a very foolish fish. He doesn’t realize that everything is totally dependent upon the care and good will of his owner.
KLAUS: And if the owner should forget about the fish?
ANNOUNCER: It would be all over for Larry.
KLAUS: Now, that is my point. The fish is foolish for not seeing the obvious. People can be just as foolish if they can’t see God’s preserving hand in their lives. Psalm 53 says: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.'” The main difference between the Bible fool and the one we’re talking about today is that the Bible fool kept his opinions to himself, and didn’t go around sharing them with the neighbors. Martin Luther said it, “I believe that God has made me and all creatures, that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses and still preserves them.”
ANNOUNCER: So, you’re saying God not only got things started, He keeps things going.
KLAUS: Absolutely. We are the beneficiaries of God’s constant grace and goodness. I know things seem to be messed up in the world but imagine what it would be like if God walked away from us, if He removed His grace, even for a second, things would get mighty strange mighty fast.
ANNOUNCER: Could you give us an example of that?
KLAUS: Absolutely. You have somewhere between 10 and 100 trillion cells in your body. What keeps your brain cells doing thinking things and kidney cells doing filtering things and lung cells doing their good-air-in and bad-air-out thing? What keeps our eyeballs seeing, our ears hearing? How is it possible for me to think I’m going to raise my voice, and my vocal cords do that? We take these things for granted and get frustrated with God when it doesn’t work right, but the truth is, most of the time, it does. And that ongoing working is God’s gift. It’s also the way I would answer question number two, about how you would respond to the individual who doesn’t see God around him.
ANNOUNCER: And we haven’t even talked about all the ways God takes care of us. The things we never see; the accidents that never happen; the problems that never occur; the disasters that never materialize because of God watching out for us.
KLAUS: No, we didn’t even touch on those things. But they are just as important. God is real, whether you want Him to be or not.
ANNOUNCER: He’s real and He’s also not neutral or indifferent about our sinfulness. But, on account of Christ, He forgives, and that’s absolutely necessary.
KLAUS: And He keeps loving, whether people thank Him or not. And that is the way it is, until Judgment Day comes. Then it won’t be that way any more.
ANNOUNCER: And what will happen to all those folks who thought God was unnecessary?
KLAUS: They’re going to find themselves in a place where God won’t be protecting them.
ANNOUNCER: In hell.
KLAUS: A place without God’s protection – yes, that would be hell, Mark. But the good news is that God not only created and preserves us. Through Christ, He has also redeemed us and the Holy Spirit is working even now to create and sustain saving faith within us.
ANNOUNCER: This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“Lord, Support Us All Day Long” by Stephen Starke and Joseph D. Jones (© 1998 Stephen Starke)
“Beautiful Savior” arranged by Robert A. Hobby. From Thine Is the Glory by Robert A. Hobby (© 1997 MorningStar Music Publishers)
“Farewell I Gladly Bid Thee” by J.S. Bach. From Organist Frederick Hohman & Johann Sebastian Bach by Frederick Hohman (© 1988 Pro Organo)